Science Cafe Spacefaring

From the first time our ancestors gazed at the night sky, we have been fascinated by the seemingly infinite worlds that laid beyond our reach. Ever since the first historic flight of the Wright brothers in 1903, humanity has steadily built up its capability to reach out to these distant worlds, eventually culminating in the Apollo missions of manned lunar landings. Unprecedented technological advances of the last 20 years have pushed our capabilities even further. And now, after the successful launch of SpaceX Falcon Heavy, the idea of colonizing space seems closer than ever. The next step is the launch of a Big Falcon Rocket (BFR) on a mission to Mars, a reusable spaceship/rocket combination designed to deliver payloads (and people) into orbit. Are we destined to become an interplanetary species? What are the spacefaring prospects of humanity? What are the challenges we have to overcome?

In this Science Cafe, a panel of experts will explore and discuss the prospects of spacefaring.

Moderator Alex van den Berg will talk with Anupam Mazumdar, Professor in Physics, Particles and Fields at Groningen University*; Bayu Jayawardhana, Professor in Mechatronics and Control of Nonlinear Systems, and Rob Henning, professor of Pharmacology at the University Medical Center Groningen and he is member of the topical team of ESA on human hibernation, which investigates its possibilities for long-haul, manned space missions.

*Earlier, Pratika Dayal was being announced. Unfortunately, she had to cancel, but we found Anupam Mazumdar willing to take her place.

At 8 pm, DOT Live Planetarium will host the lecture Op reis naar Mars by Jeffrey Bout. Will we eventually travel to Mars? And why should we? This lecture, with full dome images, wil be held in Dutch. In between the two events, it's possible to have a meal in DOT's restaurant. Tickets for the DOT Live Plantarium show are €5,- and a ticket including meal will be €15,-. Tickets are available at www.dotgroningen.nl